Driver identified in accident causing Whitehall woman’s death

Lehigh County DA reported that a woman from Whitehall woman died as she was hit by a vehicle driven by a Delaware County man.

The fatality who was dead on the scene Friday night on the Northeast mishap was identified as Kathrine Jean Skinner, a resident of Whitehall.

Authorities have identified the driver as Kevin Yum from Media, Delaware County. He ran into a line of cars during a traffic jam on the Pennsylvania Turnpike’s Northeast Extension near the Lehigh Tunnel on Friday night. Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin said the driver killed the Whitehall Township woman.

It was the vehicle of Yum which smashed into the car driven by Kathrine Jean Skinner, age 29. The woman was pronounced dead at the scene in Washington Township, Lehigh County. The crash started a chain-reaction crash involving several other cars, some of which burst into flame. People caught in the traffic jam tried to rescue Skinner from her car, but they had to stop as the flames engulfing her car became too intense.

Thomas McMenamy, a state trooper from Maryland, was in the third vehicle in the chain. Although, McMenamy was able to free some people from their cars, he couldn’t get Skinner out as there were other cars blocking her doors.

Martin said state police are continuing to investigate the crash and are performing an accident reconstruction. He said it will take a while to really determine what happened and which charges will be filed against whom.

Yum, who was driving an SUV, and his wife sustained minor injuries in the crash.

Skinner’s mother, Jeane Skinner of Levittown, Bucks County, said her daughter was heading to Scranton to celebrate the holidays with her boyfriend. Skinner graduated from Neshaminy High School near Langhorne, Bucks County in 2001 and from Kutztown University in 2005.

Skinner was among the hundreds of northbound Turnpike motorists held up Friday night after a tractor-trailer hauling bananas crashed north of the Lehigh Tunnel in East Penn Township and caught fire at 6:10 p.m.

Police reported that they had to stop Turnpike traffic from both directions for several hours as the crash tossed debris into the southbound lanes.

Accident victims have rights. You may be eligible for compensation for your injuries, wage loss and medical bills. Contact an experienced car auto accident attorney now for a free consultation.